City Council members might visit other cities to see university stadium impact

Feb. 3, 2014

A rendering shows what a new CSU on-campus stadium might look like / Courtesy of CSU

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Stadium sites

Locations reviewed by Fort Collins officials for possible visits by City Council members to learn about how on-campus stadiums impacted other cities: • Tulane University – New Orleans • Southern Methodist University – University Park, Texas • Florida Atlantic University – Boca Raton • University of Houston – Houston • University of Central Florida – Orlando • Oklahoma State University – Stillwater, Okla. For more information, see the city memo posted with this story on Coloradoan.com.

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Fort Collins City Council members might hit the road to learn how on-campus stadiums have affected other cities.

After researching several locations where universities have built stadiums comparable to what Colorado State University has proposed in Fort Collins, city staff members suggested council members visit Tulane University in New Orleans and Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, to gather information.

University Park is a city of about 23,000 residents that is an enclave of Dallas.

Some Fort Collins council members have expressed interest in visiting cities that have dealt with stadium issues. One of the goals of a visit would be to meet with residents who raised concerns about a stadium project and how those issues were addressed, said council member Bob Overbeck.

Knowing how stadium-related issues were handled elsewhere would help address some of the city’s concerns about CSU’s proposed $220 million facility, he said.

The city should have an intergovernmental agreement with CSU for the stadium that speaks to issues such as road improvements, parking and impacts on neighborhoods, including air quality, Overbeck said.

“If we can, I’d like to meet with neighborhood groups and get some understanding of the impacts they’ve seen after the fact,” he said. “We need to make sure we learn from their experiences and gain some insight into what our agreement should have.

“My goal is to look out for the best interests of residents.”

Overbeck and fellow council members Wade Troxell and Gino Campana told the Coloradoan they would be open to going on site visits, although their availability would depend on timing and other factors. Other council members said they weren’t sure much would be gained by sending a delegation to another city.

“Honestly, I don’t know what people will learn that we can’t find on paper,” said Mayor Karen Weitkunat.

The suggested sites for visits were determined based on a number of factors, including the size of facilities, when they were built and their proximities to residential areas, said Deputy City Manager Diane Jones.

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Finding an “apple-to-apples” comparison for what CSU has proposed proved difficult, Jones said. Every situation had “unique circumstances.”

If possible, the information-gathering trips would happen in February, Jones said. The cost of the trips will depend on how many people travel to the sites.

CSU is moving into the design development phase of the stadium project proposed on its main campus north of Prospect Road. The design will include the formation of a community-based advisory committee with representatives from various stakeholder groups, including neighbors, businesses and CSU faculty, staff and students.

Groups formed to oppose and support the stadium are expected to be included on the committee. The purpose of the committee is to help stadium designers come up with the best plans possible for a stadium if it is approved by the CSU Board of Governors, organizers say.

Details on how committee members will be selected and its meeting schedule are expected to be released in the next few weeks. The group will be chaired by Bob McCluskey, a longtime local businessman and former member of the Colorado House of Representatives.

The committee’s process is expected to be similar to the city’s development review process in terms of recommending changes to designs to address concerns.

CSU is not required to take the proposed stadium through Fort Collins’ development process. It won’t do so on a voluntary basis for a project on its main campus because that would be unprecedented, said CSU President Tony Frank.

But the university is committed to having an open and public process for reviewing its plans and making changes to minimize negative impacts, he said.

“I sure believe we have a good process designed by professionals who do this for a living,” he said. “It remains our goal to meet or exceed the spirit of the city’s standards.”

Troxell said “the proof is in the pudding” as to whether the community advisory committee is representative of the city as a whole and can truly affect how the facility is planned.

Troxell has been critical of the process used by CSU in pursuing the stadium, saying officials have ignored public input in following an approach he calls, “fire, aim, ready.”

“Engagement is the true key element of this,” he said. “It’s not just about having another forum; it’s the listening element that has been missing so far.”